Cincinnati Can’t Overlook Spooky Halloween Trip to Tulane

With Cincinnati coming off a convincing win over South Florida last weekend, it would seem that this 2-5 Tulane team beating the Bearcats is about as likely as Dr. Loomis actually killing Michael Myers for good. However, if Cincinnati overlooks its matchup with the Green Wave in New Orleans on Halloween night, a nightmarish loss could become a reality for the Bearcats.

The good news for Cincinnati is that quarterback Gunner Kiel is expected to play Friday night, despite his continued battle with his badly bruised ribs. And even if Kiel is knocked out of the game again, the Bearcats have to be feeling more confident with backup Munchie Legaux under center.

Legaux’s career nearly came to an end early last season when he suffered a horrifying knee injury against Illinois. But he has made a remarkable recovery, culminating in an outstanding performance against the Bulls last week.

Legaux, who came in for the injured Kiel, completed 14 of his 15 passes for 121 yards and had a rushing touchdown. The touchdown was his first of the season, after which Legaux was clearly emotional. If called upon again against Tulane, Legaux, a New Orleans native, would also be getting the opportunity to play before friends and family.

With two viable options at quarterback, the Bearcats seem to be in excellent shape on offense against the Green Wave, but Tulane’s secondary has been stellar in 2014 and could cause problems for Cincinnati.

The Green Wave pass defense ranks 30th in the country, allowing just 202.6 yards per game. In addition, they’re tied for 20th in the FBS with a total of 10 interceptions on the year. Whether or not they can slow down a Cincinnati passing attack that ranks 12th in the country (322 yards per game) remains to be seen, but nobody should assume this matchup is going to be akin to Jason Voorhees vs. camp counselors.

The greater concern for the Bearcats, however, comes on the other side of the ball.

Cincinnati’s defense provides greater nightmare fodder for its fans than anything Freddy Krueger could possibly come up with. The Bearcats surrender 489.3 yards per game to opponents, the 11th-highest total in all of college football. They’ve fared better against SMU and South Florida in their past two games, though neither of those offenses are exactly prolific.

Tulane’s offense hasn’t been very efficient this season, either, but the team will be getting back quarterback Tanner Lee and running back Sherman Badie back for Friday night’s game.

Badie, who injured his ankle two weeks ago against UCF, is second in the AAC with 582 rushing yards on the season, and is averaging 6.61 yards per carry. This could be a recipe for disaster against a Cincinnati run defense that is giving up nearly 214 yards on the ground per game.

Meanwhile, Lee missed the past two games with a bruised shoulder, but will be back and playing inspired against the Bearcats. He had passed for 914 yards and eight touchdowns before his injury, though was also picked off nine times. If Lee avoid this Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde routine, the Green Wave could be in business.

Lastly, a Cincinnati loss wouldn’t be that surprising because, frankly, quirky losses to seemingly inferior competition by Tommy Tuberville-coached teams have become almost as predictable as twist endings in M. Night Shyamalan movies.

While Tulane will probably need to play its best game of the season to upset the Bearcats, it certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility. If Cincinnati isn’t fully prepared for the task at hand, a frightening defeat could be in store for the Bearcats on Halloween night.